Ellis on Article XX: Of the Authority of the Church
John Ellis, 1700
Commentaries on Article XX: Rogers (1607)Ellis (1660)Burnet (1699)Beveridge (d. 1708)Welchman (1713)Practical Exposition (1716)Veneer (1725)Madan (1772)Hey (1796)Tomline (1799)Wilson (1821)Jones (1849)Trollope (1850)Browne (1850)Forbes (1867)Boultbee (1871)Maclear & Williams (1895)Green (1896)Gibson (1896)Jackson (1900)Bicknell (1919) · Article 20: text, context and Study
Article XX. Of the Authority of the Church
The Church hath power to decree Rites or Ceremonies, and authority in Controversies of Faith: And yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's Word written, neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church be a witness and a keeper of holy Writ, yet, as it ought not to decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation.
Text: Book of Common Prayer (1662)
Cleaned OCR; [...] marks passages cut for illegibility. See the scan. Text: A Defense of the Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England, written in Latin by J. Ellis, S.T.D. (Articulorum XXXIX Ecclesiae Anglicanae Defensio, first published 1660), now done into English (London, 1700). Cleaned OCR from the Internet Archive scan of the Early English Books copy; passages too garbled to recover are marked [...]. Public domain.
Fan Against which it is Objected : f, ang} . Obj. 1. The Lord has said, Deur. 4. 2, Ye vice | shall not add any thing to the Word which Icome had’; and you; and jw. 6 it seems the Church’has 441 | 770 Power of adding Rites and Ceremonies.
use > _Anfs. These Words are not ro be understood
ers, : &f every Addition that is made, but of Thar- - ”. only, which is contrary and repugnant to rcþ’” Scripture ; or which is a Corruption of whar \oft:; God had commanded by Meses. Obj. “2. The Apostle would not have the - Christians to be subje& to the Ordinances of Men, th Col.2.20, but Ecclesiastical Ceremonies are such. ers , A1swm. The Apostle forbids the Colossians! ro: ce. be subject to the Decrees of the Ceremonial ry. Law of | Moses; such as, The not touching of fead Bodies, lestthey should be defiled-; The be: 29t eating of this or thar\Mear, as if it were. \ap.. Pnclean ; bur he does nor speak against such. . Rireg and Ceremonies which tend to preserve: *: the external Worship of God,gand the State: T.. % the Church. Obj.
48 A Defence of the Obj. 3. Those DoQrines which are the Come mandments of Men, ought not to be taught, o therwise it were in vain to worship God, Mar.1 5.4. Answ. Men would indeed worship Christ , in vain, if they negle&ed his Commands ro obey the Commandments of Men : Bur Christ does not blame such Preceprs of the Church, as are not contrary ro the Divine Laws ; bur only such Commandments of Men, as are purely human Conceits, invented by Men, contrary to the Will of God , Of which there are some vain and rrifling ; as the Superstiri- ous Washings, ver. 2. others Erroneous as thar the Soul is polluted with Meats, wer. 11. and others again ey contrary to the Word of God, as the defrauding of Parents, wer. 6. Obj. 4. Scripture is the Fudge of Controver- fres, and therefore the Church*bas no Authority, Þ, in them. FT: Answ. In the deciding of Controversies’of * Faith, ‘the Church has not the supream and principal Authority ; bur a ministerial and li- mited one, as far as it follows the judgment of Scripture, and declares that to others.
ART. XXI. Of the Amtbority of General |
Read at the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_a-defense-of-the-thirty-_ellis-john_1700